Jazz from the Underground Nightclubs of Aotearoa Vol. 5 - Devils Gate Outfit | Devils Gate Outfit

Jazz from the Underground Nightclubs of Aotearoa Vol. 5 - Devils Gate Outfit

by Devils Gate Outfit

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Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
2022 NZ Jazz Album of the Year Finalists Devils Gate Outfit release their debut album on 12" Vinyl. Mastered by Anne Taegert at D & M, with artwork by Julien Dyne this Kiwijahzz classic is available in a limited edition of 200 copies.

Includes unlimited streaming of Jazz from the Underground Nightclubs of Aotearoa Vol. 5 - Devils Gate Outfit via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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edition of 200

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1.	Storm of the Century 12:03	info	buy track
2.	Gannet Dives 06:36	info	buy track
3.	Spooky Creek 06:43	info	buy track
4.	Wood Drift 08:02	info	buy track
5.	The Portal to Red Rocks 08:18	info	buy track
6.	Rogue Wave 11:21	info	buy track

about

Pōneke’s Devils Gate Outfit has been thrilling audiences for the past 3 years with their unique blend of jazz composition, sonic exploration, improvisation and deep grooves.
Featuring a lineup of some of Wellington’s most prolific and experienced improvising musicians who, through their longstanding residency at premiere venue Meow, have cultivated a dedicated regular audience which has followed them into becoming the most original and adventurous jazz band in the city.

This album was recorded live in concert at Meow in September 2021, directly after New Zealand’s second Covid lockdown and features compositions inspired by Wellington’s rugged and volatile South coast.

Nominated for 2022 Jazz Album of the Year at the NZMA

credits

released October 19, 2021

DEVILS GATE OUTFIT

Anthony Donaldson - drums
Tom Callwood - double bass
Steve Roche - cornet/baritone horn/casio
Blair Latham - saxophones/bass clarinet
David Donaldson - bass banjo/percussion
Daniel Beban - guitar/electronics
Cory Champion - vibes/percussion/synthesizer

recorded live in concert at Meow, Pōneke on 17 September 2021 by Sam Shallcrass

Digital album mastered by Cory Champion

LP mastered by Anne Taegert at Dubplates & Mastering Berlin

Produced by Devils Gate Outfit and Jeff Henderson
Special thanks to Rahine O'Rielly

Review from Jazzlocal32.com

Devils Gate Outfit was recorded live at Wellington’s Meow two months ago. The album is bursting with restless spirits, and I am not surprised that such a powerful genie was let out of the bottle so quickly. There are multitudes of spirits hovering over the recording, fragmentary echoes of Ornette and Miles, but the predominant voices are those which haunt the ragged windy Wellington coastline. All are paid their due, but the album is unconfined by the many streams that feed it. It is above all a succinct commentary on the breadth of improvised music that is thriving in Aotearoa right now.

The album is out on KiwiJahzz, a natural home for adventurous and original free music. And it captures a particular night at Meow where the band holds a residency. The playing is great, and so is the overarching vibe. Delivering great performances without defaulting to any ‘look at me’ moments. It is a band uncoupled from tired old formulas and thus able to move as freely as it desires. Sometimes this results in tantalisingly fleeting glimpses of the past, then just as suddenly you are plunged into the forward-looking improvised groove music favoured by younger audiences.

The album is loosely programmatic but does not follow a linear storyline. It establishes a theme, then drops kaleidoscopic images. letting the music paint evocative sound pictures. There is a wealth of musicianship evident here as well. I am familiar with most of the players (apart from Steve Roche and David Donaldson). Although new to me, I am delighted to hear both for the first time. It was also good to hear Cory Champion expanding his percussion role to Vibes.

I am picking that drummer/composer Anthony Donaldson is the nominal leader in this outfit and around him are a truly formidable crew. The interactions between them are impressive as they navigate that fine line between spontaneity and cohesion. The slow-burning bluesy Wood Drift is the closest thing to straight ahead and it is a delightfully spacious piece of music – it could (and should) find cut-through with any Jazz taste. And I can never hear enough of Blair Latham’s playing. On Wood Drift, his woody sonority and captivating lines caress the melody against a gentle background of Daniel Beban’s understated guitar and Callwood’s bass, setting up Champion, Roche and Beban for solos, such a languid and appealing groove tune.

Contrasting nicely, The Portal to Red Rocks is a burner and a showcase for Latham on saxophone and the very capable Roche. Here, the bass and drums provide propulsive energy as they navigate the shifting rhythms and washes of electronic effects. If I had to pick a tune that best exemplifies the album it would be the opener Storm of the Century. Anthony Donaldson owns this track and it is his pulse that sets the others free. I will be surprised if this isn’t a contender for Tui Jazz Album of the year.

John Fenton

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